At 9 p.m. the polls closed on Long Island in Nassau County for the vote to see whether or not the county’s citizens are willing to spend $400 million to help build a new Nassau Coliseum to house the New York Islanders.

As with all things involving the Islanders, the vote didn’t go without its own fair share of drama. The story that dominated the day was about how the voter turnout was lower than expected across the county. With so much money at stake here for the Islanders, one would figure that the battle in the polls would break down between Islanders fans and those who would like to see their tax money used for other reasons.

What helped keep the voter turnout low later in the evening, however, were delays on the Long Island Railroad thanks to thunderstorms and hail that knocked out service to trains. While the storms kept some voters from getting home in time to vote, neither side sought out an extension to keep the polls open to try and squeeze in a few extra votes under the wire.

One very curious reason was mentioned as to why they wouldn’t extend the hours of voting.

Polls close at 9 p.m., and results will be available after 11 p.m., said Democratic elections Commissioner William Biamonte. He cited the need to pay police overtime as one reason the county would not extend voting hours at precincts.

If the county is worried about affording overtime for police officers, it makes you wonder about the feasibility of spending $400 million for an arena and minor league baseball park. These types of questions are similar to the ones we’ve asked in the past about the City of Glendale ponying up $25 million to keep the Coyotes in Arizona while they don’t have an owner. The fact that we’re even comparing the Islanders to the Coyotes at all is frightening on its own.

The ballots will be counted up at the county board of elections. Once a projected winner is known or the results are posted, we’ll find out if Isles owner Charles Wang gets his wish or gets to start scouting out for a new solution outside of Nassau County.